


Open System Shipping

by 19yearslater



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-07 21:30:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11632293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/19yearslater/pseuds/19yearslater
Summary: The Machine has decided that Root and Shaw are not making enough moves on each other. She's tired of their casual flirting and decides to inspire the two with some suggestive music.





	Open System Shipping

The first time it happens, Root thinks there is a glitch in the Machine. She’s standing in the subway cleaning her weapons at a table while Shaw is doing the same thing next to her. Root is intent on making sure the interior of the barrel of one of her USP Compacts is completely clean when all of a sudden she hears a loud sound in her cochlear implant. Root nearly jumps out of her skin, and Sameen’s head snaps up to look at her with a look that almost reflects concern. It takes a couple of seconds, but Root recognizes the sound: “Crazy in Love,” a song from over 10 years ago. What the hell?

“Harry?” She asks, putting down her weapon and walking over to the train car that Finch is hard at work in. “Is something up with the Machine?” He looks at her through his thick glasses.

“I don’t think so Ms. Groves, it seems to be functioning normally.” Finch turns to his computer and checks some code in the possibly problematic ASI. He shakes his head and turns back to her. “Nothing out of the ordinary. Why do you ask?”

Root’s eyebrows pull together and her eyes narrow as she turns away from her friend without giving a response.   
~~~  
The next time, Root and Shaw are tailing a number near Times Square. The man is the assistant of some hotshot CEO and he’s on his way to meet with the some of the members of the Templario gang. Root almost feels sorry for the guy who has no idea that his plan to have his boss killed is about to go up in smoke. Shaw has no such remorse.

“50 bucks says the gang members kill him and his boss.” She looks up at Root with a smirk. The voice in their ears is not so amused.

“Ms. Shaw, please do not wager on the lives of our numbers. Or people for that matter.” Shaw rolls her eyes. Root can’t help but think how adorable that is. Suddenly, her right ear starts blaring, “I need your love, I need your time, when everything’s wrong, you make it right.” It’s her cochlear implant again. Without thinking, Root says out loud,

“Is something wrong? Why do you keep doing this?” 

Shaw looks at Root like she’s insane. 

“Doing what?” Shaw asks. Root just shakes her head. Shaw loses interest and turns back to the number while Root lags behind her to have a chat with the omniscient entity.  
“Ok, just tell me this then, why that song?” But the Machine remains silent. Root figures she has other things to worry about and catches up with Shaw.  
~~~  
Root and Shaw are sitting in the car waiting for “Detective Riley” to come back from talking to a police informant in the warehouse district. It’s cold enough in the car that the girls can see their breath and the windows are starting to fog up a bit. Root is watching John through a sniper scope while Shaw is finishing up the last few bites of her favorite pastrami sandwich, made, of course, without even a hint of mayo. It’s the first time she’s had the sandwich since she returned to the team after her stay with Samaritan.

“Mmm, I forgot how good this thing was.” Shaw stuffs the last of it into her mouth. 

“And I forgot how good you look when you eat,” Root replies, without missing a beat.

“Well maybe sometime I ought to eat something that you’ll never forget.” The tip of Shaw’s tongue touches her top teeth and she turns to smirk at Root who has remained remarkably composed, still staring intently through her scope.   
The car is quiet for a few moments and then, 

“I missed you Sameen. More than you can imagine.” Root says, finally fixing her eyes on Shaw.

“That’s the point though, I did imagine it. Over 7,000 times. Maybe I still am.” Shaw’s face remains blank and she’s still staring right in front of her. Root reaches out her hand to scoop up Shaw’s.

“Do you trust me, Sameen?”

“I don’t know who to trust anymore.” 

“Do you trust me to keep you safe?” There is silence as Root’s words hang in the air. 

“You were my safe place.” Shaw finally says, turning to look Root in the eye. “When things got too bad, there was one place I would go in my mind. It was always somewhere with you.” Shaw’s head turns back to the glove compartment. “You still are my safe place.”

Root’s eyes fill with tears. She knows Shaw is hurting and wants to help, but how? As if to answer her question, she begins to hear “Kiss the Girl” from The Little Mermaid. The right corner of Root’s mouth pulls up slightly; the Machine has finally gotten a song right. It takes Shaw pulling out her gun ready to shoot the stereo for Root to realize the sound is not coming through her cochlear implant but through the car. 

“Sameen, it’s ok, it’s the Machine.” Shaw does not put her weapon down. “She’s been playing music through my implant and I guess she’s figured out how to play through the car as well.”

“Why, Root? What the hell is she doing?” Shaw’s furious outcry makes Root realize what the Machine is trying to do.

“You know what? It only happens when I’m with you.”

“You’re saying the Machine is trying to play wingman.” Root’s smile widens as she nods to confirm Shaw’s hypothesis. “Well, let’s see what she does when I do this.” Shaw’s right hand reaches out to touch Root’s face and pulls the other woman closer to her. It’s quite slow for the two assassins. They stop one inch from each other, eyes closed, neither quite believing the other. And then the tenderness is over and their lips come crashing together. 

They remain like that for several minutes, all hope of surveillance lost. Reese eventually comes back, out of breath, gunshots ringing out behind him. He throws the passenger door open and pulls himself quickly into the back seat. The sight of the two women is not a surprise, only a momentary inconvenience. The armed gangsters are getting closer to the vehicle; one bullet managing to hit the right headlight. 

“Hey ladies, perhaps now is not the best time?”

Root pulls back first, still looking intently at Shaw. 

“You’re no fun John,” she says. Root moves back in for one more peck on Shaw’s lips. “To be continued.” With one quick glance at Reese, Root puts the car in reverse and slams her foot on the gas, hurriedly getting them all to safety.  
~~~  
It’s one week after the warehouse district. Team Machine has just finished up saving another number from extermination by Samaritan. Finch is running some last minute diagnostics on the Machine but Reese has already disappeared. Root and Shaw are standing alone in the large open cavern of the subway; Root is clearing the glass board of pictures while Shaw is taking stock of her weapons and ammo. Once she finishes, Root walks over to the large weapons cabinet to Shaw. 

“So, you kind of left me hanging last week,” she begins. 

“Did I? I distinctly remember that it was you that pulled away first.” Shaw puts the rest of the ammo in the bottom drawer and stands upright to look up at Root.

“I promise I won’t this time until you ask.” Root cocks her head to the side and looks Shaw up and down, pausing to let her gaze linger in certain places. “Or rather, until you beg.” Root turns away to grab her coat off the desk. “However, I think I’d like to buy you a drink first.” And without another word, she walks towards the exit.

“I’m going to have to be a lot more drunk than that!” Shaw calls after her before grabbing her own jacket and following. 

Meanwhile, Finch just sighs shakes his head. Words spell out on the screen he’s looking at.

“No, I don’t know how much longer they’re going to take.” More words appear. “Yes, I think your music choices did help. So much in fact that I imagine I should probably not be here when they return. Good night.” Finch pushes back from his desk, gathers his briefcase and jacket, and walks with his rocking gait out of the subway.  
~~~  
Root and Shaw enter the subway holding on to each other, laughing hysterically. They had spent the last two hours at the bar, seeing who could best the other in taking shots. Unfortunately, a winner was never declared because a guy walked up and asked if he could buy Root a drink. Root said something about his incorrect anatomy, all while Shaw somehow made the guy end up on the ground. They may have been drunk and the bartender may have thrown the two out of the bar but both could not stop laughing. 

“Wrong genitals dude? I can’t believe you said that!” Shaw puts her hand on her side to subdue the stitch growing there.

“Well what else was I supposed to do? Shoot him in the dick?”

“I can’t believe that option wasn’t plan A.”

Silence falls over the two as they calm down a bit. They manage to get over to the bed in Root’s make-shift room and sit on it, Root’s head in Shaw’s lap. For a sociopath, Shaw’s touch is surprising soft as she strokes Root’s beautiful, curly hair. It could have been hours or maybe only minutes that the two sit there, but suddenly Root jumps to her feet and runs over to the subway car. Shaw curiously gets up to follow her, arriving after Root finishes her request to the Machine. 

“What’s going on?” Shaw inquires. Root simply takes Shaw’s hand and leads her to a wooden chair sitting in the middle of the car. Root backs up, and then suddenly the cavernous space is filled with the sounds of Selena Gomez’s “Hands to Myself.” Root sings along with the pop star, performing a mixture of sexy, seductive moves and interpretive dance. By the time she gets to “Can’t keep my hands to myself/I mean I could but why would I want to?” Root is in Shaw’s lap performing her best lap dance moves. Shaw is both laughing and trying not to get distracted from the hilarity of Root’s performance by Root herself (or more accurately Root’s body that is pressed up quite close to her own). The song ends too soon, but Shaw gets up out of her chair and simply says, “My turn.” 

When the first notes of “Sexyback” hit, Shaw pushes Root into the chair and prepares to give her own show. At the second chorus of “get your sexy on” Shaw begins to remove articles of clothing, much to Root’s delight. She begins first with her jacket, slowly sliding it down her arms. When it’s completely removed, she tosses it to the side and starts to tease Root with her toned abs. Eventually, Shaw whips her black tank top at Root’s face just as the song ends. 

Root flashes Shaw her half-smile and rises in hopes of outdoing Shaw’s stripping. Once in place, the Machine begins playing “Sexual,” while Root walks further into the subway car. She stops next to one of the poles in the center of the car meant for passengers, looks at Shaw with one eyebrow raised, and begins her pole dance routine. At some point, she’s left in only her underwear and Shaw is no longer sitting but moving slowly towards Root, almost unconsciously.

The girls barely make the halfway point of the song before they are locked in a passionate kiss, both fighting for domination. They gravitate slowly back towards Root’s bed, the months of built-up heartache and pain finally spilling over. Root and Shaw need each other like they need air to breathe. Root manages to gain the upper hand on Shaw and she pushes the smaller woman down onto the bed, moving her own body in quickly after. They’ve spent so long waiting for this moment, and now it’s time to show both each other and themselves that love is still possible after all they’ve been through.  
~~~  
Sleep feels nice, Root thinks as she wakes up. Her eyes open slowly to look at Shaw in the bed next to her. Root can’t help but smile. Waking up naked next to Sameen feels better. Shaw looks so peaceful in her sleep. Her face is completely relaxed and her eyes are closed, a huge change from their normal task of mapping out all the exit routes. She does however have her hand under her pillow holding on to her Beretta just in case of emergency but one can never be too careful. Root absentmindedly draws patterns on Shaw’s back, trying not to wake her up.

“You know, I’ve always loved when people do that to me.” Shaw’s voice indicates that Root has been unsuccessful. 

“Well I’d be happy to wake you up this way every day.” Shaw rolls over to make eye contact with Root. The two lay there for several minutes, just staring into each other’s eyes. Suddenly, there is a tapping sound, getting louder and louder as Finch enters the subway. He walks by Root’s room to head towards the Machine, completely oblivious to the two other bodies present. 

“Do you think we should say something?” Shaw whispers.

“You know, if we just went out there as we are, we wouldn’t actually have to say much of anything,” Root smirks.

“As much as I enjoy the sight of you naked, I’m thinking that Finch is not quite ready. And I don’t think we need to give him a heart attack.” The laughter that occurs after Shaw’s comment makes the decision for the girls. Finch hurriedly gets up from his computer, saying,

“I don’t know who you are but you should know that I’m armed!” 

“With what, Harry? Java script?” Root says.

“Relax Finch, it’s just us.”

“Oh, Ms. Shaw, Ms. Groves, my sincerest apologies.” Finch is standing in the doorway, staring hard at the opposite wall, trying his best not to look at either of the bodies in front of him. Meanwhile, Reese enters the subway and sees Finch not at his usual post.

“Finch? Is something wrong?” John moves to stand next to Finch and catches sight of Root and Shaw in bed together. “Oh. Well Finch, do you want to go get some breakfast? I think these two could use maybe an hour?”

“Better make it two John! See you later boys,” Root calls out. She moves closer to Shaw’s face and presses her lips to hers. Footsteps echo off the tile walls and both Reese and Finch hastily make their exit. “Do you think they’re cool with it?” Root asks apprehensively after she pulls away. 

“Quite honestly, I don’t give a damn.” Shaw resumes their kiss. 

Like it’s a light year away, the Machine begins playing Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do.” Shaw and especially Root are too distracted to quite notice how the Machine is reacting. They don’t know what the future holds for them, what pain, what death, lay ahead. All they have is right now with each other, the memories they are creating. No one knows what tomorrow has in store for them, but Shoot will be ready.


End file.
